Serena, which stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper, was filmed in the Czech Republic. Similarly, Civil War drama Cold Mountain, from the book by local author Charles Frazier, was filmed mostly in Romania. The World Made Straight, however, was a North Carolina production through and through, down to — and because of — its directors.

Each week, Xpress highlights notable WNC crowdsourcing initiatives that may inspire readers to become new faces in the crowd. This week features a dark fantasy film about combating abuse and an online listings network for reduced-cost mental health services.

According to a press release, New Belgium’s 21-city Clips Beer & Film Tour raised some $139,524 for charities across the nation and drew more than 20,000 guests. The outdoor film and beer-tasting event, which stopped in Asheville on Friday, Sept. 5, raised $5,717 locally with attendance by approximately 1,400 individuals. Asheville’s average waste diversion rate […]

MikelParis, the touring keyboard player for O.A.R., wanted to maximize his time on the road. “How can you go to all of these cities and just sit on the tour bus?” he asked himself. So, armed with a video camera, a guitar and his own inquisitive nature, Paris set out to capture a little bit […]

by Paul Clark The biggest challenge to making a movie about the busking scene in downtown Asheville, says Erin Derham, was knowing when to stop. New buskers cycled through town all summer, giving the filmmaker endless possibilities to flesh out her story on the subculture these musicians inhabit. Super-organized and deadline-oriented, Derham gave herself six months […]

Scroll down for the full week’s worth of posts. Local filmmakers Katie Damien and Lela Winton are part of the Gorilla with a Mustache Films crew who attended the Cannes Film Festival (yes, the one in France) to screen their short comedy, Joint Effort. The group spent a week in that glamorous locale, taking in […]

The Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Asheville & Buncombe County has announced several events in celebration Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 20, including a film screening, prayer breakfast and march.

More than 120 films were submitted for the National Film Challenge. The jury narrowed that list to 15 currently being considered for Audience Choice voting. Among them is “Joint Effort” by Asheville team Gorilla with a Mustache. Voting is open through Wednesday, Dec. 18.

Writer/director Nathan Ives’ romantic comedy, “It’s Not You, It’s Me,” attempts to fill us in on the machinations behind the baffling decisions our loved ones make. The indie-film, by a former Asheville resident, was screened at Carolina Cinemas on Tuesday.

Mechanical Eye Microcinema and the Asheville Art Museum host a weekend of screenings and other events where the material is the message. (Pictured, a still from “Madame Winger Makes a Film” by Helen Hill.)

It is, I think, safe to conclude that the art films have it this week. We have two of those (it was three, but the third got wisely moved to next week) and two mainstream titles. The art titles are very choice indeed. The others — one I’m skeptical of, the other I’m confident will be just plain ghastly.

Local filmmaker Melika Bass was recently commissioned by the Icelandic band Sigur Ros to create a video for the group’s new album, “Valtari.” Bass’ film for the song “Varðeldur” was released online yesterday.

“I have fallen in love with a beautiful tree stuck in the middle of a giant parking lot in front of the Rose Bowl.” So writes Joel Tauber of his documentary Sick-Amour, showing at the Asheville Art Museum on Sunday, July 15.